Rumors came up late last week surrounding a potential Davante Adams sign-and-trade from the Green Bay Packers to the Las Vegas Raiders.
One of the best receivers in the game, Adams will likely see Green Bay place the franchise tag on him ahead of Tuesday’s deadline. At that point, the Pro Bowler could very well demand a trade.
Right now, there’s been no concrete extension talks between Adams and the Packers. Meanwhile, star Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers is set to make a decision on his future here within the next 48 hours.
What does this all mean? There’s a darn good chance that the Packers will be forced to trade their leading receiver after placing the $19 million franchise tag on him.
In Las Vegas, reports have now come out that Adams has purchased a $12 million mansion in the outskirts of Sin City.
The Raiders’ potential interest in Adams can’t be seen as too much of a surprise. He was quarterback Derek Carr’s teammate in college at Fresno State and the two share a great relationship. Meanwhile, Vegas is in desperate need of a true No. 1 receiver following the Henry Ruggs’ off-field tragedy and subsequent release from the organization.
Below, we look at how an Adams sign-and-trade from the Green Bay Packers to the Las Vegas Raiders might look.
NFL sign-and-trade market, impact on Davante Adams
Rarely do we see teams trade franchise-tagged players. The notable most-recent example of this was when the Miami Dolphins traded Jarvis Landry to the Cleveland Browns back in March of 2018.
Cleveland sent a fourth-round pick and seventh-round selection to South Beach for Landry — ultimately signing the pass-catcher to a five-year, $75.5 million extension.
This isn’t a great comparison in the grand scheme of things in that Adams is a much more prolific receiver than his counterpart. It also must be noted that if Adams is handed the non-exclusive franchise tag, any team signing him would be forced to cough up two first-round picks.
There’s been other recent examples of sign-and-trades around the NFL that could impact what Green Bay receives from Las Vegas in a hypothetical Davante Adams blockbuster.
Back in April of 2019, the Seattle Seahawks traded Pro Bowl pass rusher Frank Clark and a third-round pick to the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for a first-round pick, second-round pick and third-round selection.
Finding value in a Davante Adams trade to the Las Vegas Raiders
Common sense seems to indicate that the Packers can’t demand two first-round picks for Adams. If that were the case, Vegas would just sign him outright rather than discuss a deal with Green Bay’s brass.
Instead, the Raiders’ first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft (22nd overall) would have to be a starting off-point. From there, Vegas could offer up one of its fifth-round picks and a future mid-round selection for Adams.
Sure that might not seem like market value for one of the best and most-productive receivers in the NFL.
- Davante Adams stats (2020-21): 238 receptions, 2,927 yards, 29 TD, 75% catch rate
With that said, all things are not created equal here. Green Bay simply won’t receive fair-market value for Adams should he ask out after being handed the franchise tag. Rival teams would then know full well that the situation in Wisconsin is not sustainable, creating leverage in trade talks in the process.
Davante Adams next contract
This is a rather huge backdrop to it all. Adams, 29, will demand a contract that pays him well north of $20 million annually. While he likely won’t surpass DeAndre Hopkins’ $27.25 million annual salary, something to the tune of $25 million per season makes sense here.
Green Bay currently finds itself $29.80 million over the 2022 NFL salary cap. It also has the Aaron Rodgers’ contract situation to worry about should the two-time reigning league MVP opt to remain with the Packers.
None of this takes into account Adams’ $19 million cap hit under the franchise tag and the need to extend star cornerback Jaire Alexander.
As for the Raiders, new general manager Dave Ziegler has $20.65 million to work with under the cap. They are also intent on signing the aforementioned Carr to a contract extension this offseason.
In short, Vegas has the financial ability to offer up $25 million annually to Davante Adams in a sign-and-trade. That’s especially true with Ziegler and Co. able to save another $31-plus million by designating veterans such as Cory Littleton, Clelin Ferrell, Carl Nassib and Nick Kwiatkoski post June 1 cuts.
More must-reads: